Residents learn about emerald ash borer destruction, options

Tree professionals painted a realistic picture of the seriousness of the emerald ash borer?s (EAB) infestation of ash trees in North America at a program in Washington, Monday night. The program dealt with the habits of the EAB and the larvae, which feed beneath the bark and disrupt water and nutrient flow within the tree, which leads to tree death.

Hannah Howard, Trees Forever field coordinator, and Andy Dahl, University of Iowa arborist, provided the program at the Washington County Extension Office for just over 30 people in attendance. The program was sponsored by the Washington Tree Committee, Trees Forever and the Washington County Extension and Outreach office.

Although the EAB hasn?t officially been documented in Washington County, Howard and Dahl said it is likely present in the county. Nearby counties it has been confirmed in include Jefferson and Henry counties. They discussed the option of treating healthy ash trees with an insecticide to save the trees. However, both Howard and Dahl cautioned the use of insecticides, saying there is no way to guarantee that they will work successfully. Other drawbacks to treatment are the expense of the treatments and that if started, the application of pesticide has to be done annually for the rest of the tree?s life. They also cautioned against overapplication of the chemicals and environmental detriments.

Dahl?s portion of the program focused on slides of various tree types which can be planted to replace dying ash trees. He encourages cities and property-owners to plant a mix of trees to eliminate the chance of entire streetscapes being wiped out if a disease or pests such as the EAB become introduced to a certain tree species.